The invention relates to a windshield wiper for a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle.
Windshield wipers of this generic type are known. Typically, they are used to wipe windows of motor vehicles, to assure clear vision for a vehicle driver. To that end, the windshield wipers have a wiper arm, which can be set into a swiveling or pendulum motion via a wiper drive. The wiper arm is connected by one end to a wiper shaft solidly connected to the body, while the other, free end of the wiper arm carries a wiper blade. With respect to the connection between the wiper blade and the wiper arm, various constructions are known, in which either the wiper blade is pivotably connected to the wiper arm, or the wiper arm has a solidly connected wiper blade that is prestressed in the direction of the window.
Depending on vehicle styling, the windshield wiper is either partly concealed by an extension of a hood over the engine compartment, or the windshield wiper is disposed in plain sight. Especially in windshield wipers that are not concealed, they are subject to a relative wind during an intended use of the motor vehicle. This leads to bothersome wind noise, especially at high speed ranges of the motor vehicle.
The windshield wiper according to the invention offers the advantage over the prior art that the flow noise is reduced in a simple way. Because a leg pointing substantially in the travel direction of the vehicle forms an integrated spoiler, and at least one air outflow opening is disposed on the further legs, it advantageously becomes possible for the air stream approaching the wiper arm to be diverted over the wiper arm by means of the embodiment as an integrated spoiler. Depending on the specific design of the spoiler, this prevents backpressure on the front side of the wiper arm, so that eddy development at flow edges of the wiper arm, which causes noise, is substantially averted. Furthermore, the embodiment of the integrated spoiler means that the deflection of the air stream generates a contrary force, which forces the wiper arm in the direction of the window to be cleaned, thus generating an additional contact pressure of the wiper blade. Especially at high speeds, this improves the wiping pattern. The at least one air outflow opening on the other legs that is additionally provided, in other words on an upper and/or a rear leg of the wiper armxe2x80x94in terms of the air approach directionxe2x80x94prevents a buildup of backpressure in the interior of the wiper arm that is surrounded by the U-shaped profiled part. This kind of head pressure would lead to a force component of the wiper arm oriented away from the window to be wiped, so that the additional opening that prevents this head pressure leads to a further improvement in the wiping quality.
In a preferred feature of the invention, it is provided that the leg that forms the integrated spoiler has a spoiler lip of an elastic material, pointing in the direction of the window to be wiped. This advantageously makes it possible to minimize any gap between the window to be wiped and the wiper arm; even if the wiper arm briefly touches the window slightly, the spoiler lip absorbs the impact forces, thus averting damage to the window and/or the wiper arm.
Further preferred features of the invention will become apparent from the other characteristics recited in the dependent claims.